Yes. Downloading and playing is free. Cosmetics and passes are optional purchases.

Can I get a refund on a Battle Pass?

Under Epic's Item Shop refund rules, passes and pass levels are not refundable.

Can a parent block spending?

Epic offers a PIN for Epic payments. Console and phone store purchases need that platform's own controls.

Are gifts refundable?

No. Epic lists gifted purchases as non-refundable.

Fortnite V-Bucks, Battle Pass and Refunds: A Parent Guide

Fortnite costs nothing to download. Epic Games makes money from cosmetic items, such as outfits and emotes, and from passes. The in-game currency is called V-Bucks. The ESRB rating notes In-Game Purchases, so it is worth knowing the rules. All facts below were checked on October 9, 2026 and can change.

Key takeaways

You can play without paying. Purchases are optional and cosmetic.
Item Shop purchases can be cancelled within 24 hours if the item is unused.
Passes, pass levels and gifts are not refundable under Epic's rules.
Epic's parental controls offer a PIN and limits, but console and phone store payments need separate settings.

What V-Bucks and the Battle Pass are

V-Bucks are the currency used in the Item Shop and for the Battle Pass. The Battle Pass is a seasonal reward track. This season the headline character is Sonic the Hedgehog. Press reported that the Battle Pass price rose from 950 to 1,000 V-Bucks in December 2024. Check the current price in the game before you buy, as we could not confirm it on an Epic page today. Fortnite Crew is a monthly subscription, listed at $11.99 on the Epic store.

Refunds and gifts

Item	What Epic says
Item Shop purchase, within 24 hours	Can be cancelled if you have not used or equipped it. One cancel per item.
Item Shop purchase, within 30 days	May use a Return Ticket. Accounts start with 3 and earn 1 per year, up to 3.
Passes and pass levels	Not refundable
Gifted items	Not refundable
Purchases inside creator islands	Not refundable

Real-money purchases made through a console or phone store go through that platform's refund process.

Spending controls to turn on

Open the Epic parental controls portal and set up a PIN.
Turn on the PIN for Epic payments. This does not cover PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, Steam or app store payments, so also set limits on those platforms.
Check the setting for paid random items, where it is available in your region.
Know that players who say they are under 13 get a $100 daily limit on Epic payments.